Saddam Hussein's two sons, Uday and Qusay, have been killed by US troops in Iraq, the United States military has said.

Their bodies were identified after 200 US soldiers, backed by helicopters, stormed a house in the northern city of Mosul following a tip-off from an Iraqi source.

A US commander in Baghdad said he was "certain" the two had died in the fierce gun battle in Mosul.

Reports of the deaths of the two men - among the most influential and most feared in the Saddam regime - were welcomed on the streets of Baghdad where revellers fired shots in the air.

And the BBC's Gordon Corera in Washington says the news of the deaths could not come at a better moment for the Bush administration which is under pressure over daily troops casualties and a row about intelligence.

However, attacks continued on Wednesday with a military convoy coming under rocket propelled grenade fire west of Baghdad, just outside the town of Ramadi.

Soldiers at the scene have been receiving medical treatment. It is not known if there are any fatalities.

Tip-off reward

US troops hunting for Saddam's sons came under fire as they approached the villa in the northern part of Mosul.

The Americans responded with rocket fire from helicopter gunships in an operation lasting six hours. Four US soldiers were wounded in the fighting.